The Israeli government has donated gadgets for non surgical male circumcision to the Ministry of Health.

Receiving the donation at Ndeke House yesterday , Health Minister of the Republic of Zambia, Hon. Dr. Chitalu Chilufya stated that the gesture from the Israeli government had come at the correct time when the government was racing to meet its target of circumcising two million men and boys in a bid to achieve epidemic control of HIV/AIDS by 2020.

The Minister announced that 1.4 million males had been circumcised in Zambia as of 2018.

He stated that Government acknowledged the devastating impact that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has and continues to have on the Zambian society causing it to place emphasis on prevention strategies that will contribute towards the reduction in HIV incidence, voluntary male circumcision being one such interventions.

“Evidence from research studies has shown that male circumcision reduces a man’s chance of spreading HIV by 60 percent. Studies that have modeled the impact of VMMC in Zambia indicate that if we reach our goal of circumcising 90% of all HIV negative adult males by end of 2020, we will prevent over 340,000 new HIV infections. If we are to effectively reduce the incidence of HIV, we all need to actively contribute to ensuring that Zambia achieves Universal Coverage of Male Circumcision, “Dr. Chilufya said.

And Dr. Chilufya stated that in order for Zambia to reach its target of circumcising 2 million men and boys by 2020, innovative ways of providing VMMC in an efficient and cost effective way. He stated that PrePex device offered such innovations and hence it would cause a significant increase in MCs if introduced as one of the methods available to clients.

He announced that the Ministry of Health was in collaboration with Jhpiego, currently implementing active surveillance of the PrePex device and that so far, 731 circumcisions had been done.

“Therefore, with the donation, it will help to accelerate the implementation of the study and will effectively help in outreach activities, “he said.

And Israeli Ambassodor to Zambia, His Excellency Mr. Gershon Kedar stated that his government will continue partnering with the Zambian government in many aspects including health. He stated that so far, their collaboration in the health sector included emergency health, cardiology and public health and that now, it gave him great pleasure that they would be collaborating in non surgical male circumcision which would help to save millions of lives.